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More carrot and less stick for motorists
9:00am Tuesday 5th August 2008
Comments (2)MOTORISTS should be encouraged to give up their cars and use public transport rather than be bullied by “vindictive taxation”, a senior Southend councillor says.
Anna Waite, Southend councillor responsible for transport, spoke after the House of Commons environmental audit committee criticised Govern- ment plans to impose £2billion of green taxes on 13 million motorists.
Car owners could be left paying up to £60 a year more in car tax as the Government punishes gas guzzlers.
Mrs Waite, Tory councillor for St Luke’s ward, said the Government needed to invest more in reliable public transport, rather than imposing more taxes to deter motorists.
She said : “I believe we have to do something to encourage people away from their cars and to use other forms of transport.
“However, there should be a lot more carrot and a lot less stick involved than the Government is suggesting.”
Mrs Waite also criticised plans to effectively re-tax old cars because those made after 2001 will be put into new tax bands based on their engine size.
It is estimated that will see car tax rise for 43 per cent of vehicles, with just 18 per cent qualifying for a cheaper rate.
Mrs Waite added: “Starting taxing people on cars which were bought several years ago is a vindictive measure which is not going to help the situation.
“We need to encourage peopleto use other forms of transport – although you are never going to eliminate the car altogether.
“If the Government is going to get all this money from a tax of this type than I would expect a large amount of it to be reinvested into improved forms of public transport and better roads across the whole of the country.” Mrs Waite added that local authorities could only do a small amount because of financial restraints and major initiatives had to be funded by the Government.
Tory MP Tim Mr Yeo, chairman of the Commons committee, said: “According to the Government’s own figures, these changes will only have a very limited impact on the environment.”
Your Say YourEcho
Ian P, Benfleet says...
12:25pm Tue 5 Aug 08
Car tax – proposed changes have been poorly explained according to a Government watchdog
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Winston Smith, Shoeburyness, Essex, Airstrip One. says...
9:24am Tue 5 Aug 08
The fair solution would be to go back to the old system, where instead of Vehicle Excise Duty we go back to a ring-fenced Road Tax of £50 a year for all cars, with lower amounts for motorcycles and higher amounts for commercial vehicles.
To replace the lost revenue fuel duty could be raised by 10-15%. Then those who use larger less fuel efficient vehicles, and those who drive more, would pay more, and those who use smaller more efficient vehicles, and drive less, would pay less. People would be encouraged to be more economical in their driving habits.
The current policy of bludgeoning the poor with Nu-Liebour's eco-fascist driven tax rises just creates resentment and anger.